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Chippa United counting on home ground advantage

Clinton Larsen
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Newly-appointed Chippa United Head Coach Clinton Larsen hopes his charges will be able to capitalize on the home ground advantage when they clash with Mamelodi Sundowns in a Nedbank Cup first-round match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

The two teams have met 12 times in the past five seasons with Sundowns dominating.

United will be hoping for an upset on home soil.

Confidence is running high in the Chippa camp following a 2-0 victory against struggling Maritzburg United last Saturday.

Chippa are yet to win silverware despite being promoted to the PSL five seasons ago.

The Chilli Boyz’s main aim is get out of the relegation zone in the Absa Premiership, but also want to advance in the Nedbank Cup.

Their opponents, Sundowns, come into the match off a win against Highlands Park.

The Brazilians are also flourishing in the CAF competition where they beat Wydad 2-1 and will be a tough nut to crack.

“There is no pressure on us. We want to use the occasion for players to enjoy the game, and all pressure is on Sundowns. We do want to beat Sundowns and I believe we can if we execute our game plan like we planned. We can beat them. They are a formidable team even if they make several changes,” says Larsen.

Chippa management has signed four new players to add depth. The signings are Gladwin Shitolo from Orlando Pirates, while William Twala returns to Port Elizabeth from Free State Stars. The club has also appointed Morgan Mammila from Baroka FC as their new CEO.

“With due respect to Sundowns, I wouldn’t have much to say or expect a lot, but I can only expect a lot from us Chippa United to give our all on the day,” says Twala.

Saturday afternoon’s match is expected to be a sell-out.

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